Yes, dead bed bugs are good if you just had your house treated. But, if you didn’t know you had bed bugs then dead bed bugs can be a sign of a growing infestation.
Not sure what your dead bed bugs mean? Don’t worry, I’m here to help. In this post, I am going to go over everything you need to know about dead bed bugs and how you should move forward.
Let’s get started.
I found a dead bed bug in my house, should I be worried?
The short answer is yes. Even just one dead bed bug could be a sign that you have an infestation. That said, if this is your first clue that you may have bed bugs, then it’s likely that the infestation is still in the early stages. As such, it’s vital to take action as soon as possible.
Bed bug infestation can grow fast. One bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime. And the larger the infestation, the more difficult and expensive it will be to eliminate.
Your next course of action will depend on your preference in various factors such as budget, time and the scale of infestation. If this is the first time you’ve identified a possible infestation, I highly recommend calling a professional to get a better idea of its scale.
Is it Normal To Find Dead Bed Bugs After Treatment?
Yes, it is normal to find bed bugs in your home after treatment. Most professional bed bug treatment services don’t include cleaning in their package. As such you can expect to find bed bugs in your property as after the treatment.
That said, seeing dead bed bugs several weeks after treatment may indicate that the treatment did not work.
Bed bugs die instantaneously in heat treatments. As such, you can expect to find dead bed bugs right after the treatment.
If you did a chemical treatment, then bed bugs may not die for several days. Thus, you may continue to find dead bed bugs in your property several days after their treatment.
Regardless of the method you use, I highly recommend doing a deep cleaning after a bed bug treatment.
Start with areas that were heavily infested. Make sure to vacuum areas with deep holes and crevices.
Cleaning after a bed bug treatment is important for two reasons. The first is cleanliness. You wouldn’t want dead bed bugs decaying in between your mattresses or furniture.
Cleaning is also important to monitor if the treatment was successful. While you can expect to see dead bed bugs around your home within a week or so after the treatment, you should stop seeing them after that.
Seeing dead bed bugs several weeks after treatment may be a sign that the treatment did not work.
Do Bed Bugs Play Dead?
No. Bed bugs do not play dead. If you happen to come across a bed bug that is not moving and is on its back, it is likely dead.
However, simply being immobile doesn’t mean that a bed bug is dead. Unlike other pests, such as roaches and spiders, bed bugs are not easily startled by your presence.
To be sure, you can poke the bed bug with a pen or any pointy object. If the bed bug remains still after being poked, then it’s likely dead.
Do Dead Bed Bugs Smell?
Yes, dead bed bugs may smell. But, it’s unlikely that you’ll notice, unless you have a very large infestation. A bed bug’s decaying body smells more like a mold rather than rotten.
Do Bed Bugs Crumble?
Yes. A dead bed bug’s body may crumble as it begins to decompose. However, mant people will compare this to a smear rather than crumble.
A bed bug’s body will generally begin to decompose several weeks after its death. If you have recently had a bed bug treatment, then you can expect the bed bugs bodies to remain intact for a while, giving you enough time to get rid of them easily.
Can Dead Bed Bugs Lay Eggs?
No. Bed bugs cannot lay eggs once they’re dead. Once the bed bug dies, her eggs die with her.
However, if the eggs have already been laid, then their chances of surviving and hatching after a bed bug treatment is higher.
Bed bug eggs have hard shells and are resilient to many bed bug treatments. To ensure that you’ve killed all bed bugs, including their eggs, contact a professional.
Can dead bed bugs walk?
No. Dead bed bugs cannot walk or move.
If you see a bed bug crawling after a treatment, that means that bed bug survived. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the treatment is not effective.
While heat treatments kill bed bugs in an instant, chemical treatments may take days to a couple of weeks to completely eliminate an entire bed bug population.
Why are there dead Bed Bugs on my window sill?
Bed bugs live close to their food, human blood. As such, it’s common to see them on bedroom window sills.
This is particularly true if your window sill is close to your bed or couch. If so, you may find bed bugs, their exoskeleton and eggs on your bedroom and living room window sill.
How Long Do Bed Bugs Live?
In a perfect environment, bed bugs can live up to twelve months. However, in general, bed bugs do not live this long, dying at around ten months after birth.
Why are there dead Bed Bugs in my restroom?
Bed bugs don’t travel a lot and are unlikely to live in the bathroom. That’s because these little bugs like to live close to their food: human blood.
If you’ve identified a bed bug in your bathroom, this is likely for a couple of reasons. The first is that you’ve misidentified another insect for a bed bug. The second is that you have a large infestation.
Although unlikely, large bed bug infestation may force them to seek shelter in less ideal places such as the bathroom.
What do dead bed bugs look like after treatment?
Dead bed bugs will generally have their legs and heads curled up.
If you used chemical treatment instead of heat, you may notice that their skin or exoskeleton shed. Bed bugs shed their exoskeletons during treatment to prevent dying.
How To Tell If Bed Bugs Are Dead?
Dead bed bugs will generally have their legs and heads curled up. They will not move, even when poked.
That said, unlike other pests, bed bugs are not easily startled. Most of the time they are immobile, especially when digesting food.
So lack of motion doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead. To check if a bed bug is dead, consider poking it. If it doesn’t move, then it’s likely dead.
What color are dead bed bugs?
Dead bed bugs have a similar color as living bed bugs. Dead bed bugs will have a reddish to brownish color. They are oval in shape and about 3/16 to ¼ inch long.
Are dead bed bugs black?
Dead bed bugs can be black, depending on the amount of blood it’s digesting right before dying.
In general, dead bed bugs have a similar color as living bed bugs. But if the bed bug had just finished having a meal, then it could have a darker color, ranging from dark brown to black.
How long does it take for bed bugs to die without a host?
Adult bed bugs can live for a long time without food. They can survive without a host anywhere between 20 to 400 days.
Bed bug survival without food will depend on a variety of factors, such as temperature and humidity.
Because bed bugs can live for several months without food, killing them through starvation is not ideal for medium to large infestation.
However, you can opt to contain bed bugs in a sealed environment for small infestations. For instance, if only your couch is infested, you can seal your couch so that no bed bugs can escape.
Then you can store your couch somewhere people will not touch it. This method of eliminating bed bugs can be highly effective under the right conditions.
Are bed bug casings a sign of dead bed bugs?
No. Bed bug casings are not a sign of dead bed bugs, but rather a growing population of bed bugs.
Bed bugs shed their exoskeletons multiple times as they molt and reach different states in their life cycle.
Finding multiple bed bug casings indicates that the infestation in your home is growing and there are eggs being hatched.
Do Bed Bugs Have Defense Mechanisms?
No. Bed bugs do not have any defense mechanism. They are not venomous or poisonous. Bed bugs are also incapable of releasing unpleasant odors to protect themselves from threat.
Bed bugs protect themselves by being good at hiding. They live near their host so they don’t have to travel far. Once they’re done eating, they hide in crevices and holes until they are ready for their next meal.
What Insects look like bed bugs?
There are several insects that are commonly mistaken for bed bugs.
You’d often hear people confusing Ticks with bed bugs. That’s no surprise as both are small and feed on blood to survive.
Fleas are also often confused with bed bugs. Both these insects are small.
Their color is also similar. Both have light brown to dark brown in color.
Fleas and bed bugs are also both blood sucking insects. Fleas and bed bugs also leave bite marks that look similar to each other.
Many also confuse termites with bed bugs. That’s because both these insects are tiny, live indoors, and live in furniture.
Dust mites are also often confused with bed bugs, but not because they look the same.
Dust mites are microscopic, which means you can’t see them with your eyes.
But, because bed bug bites and dust mites look similar, many mistake dust mite infestation to bed bug infestation.
Here’s a list of insects that are often confused with bed bugs:
- Fleas
- Ticks
- Spider Beetles
- Swallow Bugs
- Bat Bugs
- Booklice
- German Cockroach (Nymph)
- Headlice
- Kissing Bugs
- Stink Bug
- Chimney Swift Bug
- Poultry Bug or Mexican Chicken Bug
- Dust Mites